Joey's Story

Joey arrived at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) with 33 other animals during the Colorado Project of 2016-2017. TCWR acquired a closing, 12-acre roadside establishment with 115 animals living in deplorable conditions with minimal veterinary care. Due to health issues, the previous owner needed to find a new home for all the animals he had acquired. Many enclosures had access doors made of rotting plywood and a padlock to contain these apex predators. Additionally, they existed on compacted dirt and woodchips, with little shade from the glaring eastern Colorado sun. Our team worked on-site for six months and collaborated with other accredited Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) sanctuaries to transport and provide lifelong refuge to these animals. During this period, TCWR assisted in founding the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance (BCSA) to unite accredited sanctuaries for future rescues and to educate and provide awareness to the public about the plight of the growing wild cat crisis.

In Colorado, Joey was cohabitating with three additional big cats – Lakota (a Ti-Liger), Khaleesi (a Golden-Tabby tiger), and Aurora (a white tiger). Because of their exotic variations and age, we suspect the four were used as a cub petting attraction or breeding. At the Refuge, the four remained together until they matured and were separated as they began to fight with each other. As a very active and playful tiger, Joey has a high-spirited personality. She sometimes stalks her keepers and runs with them on the fence line. She can be very curious and does not have a favorite enrichment item – she enjoys it all.